Big Rick

No, it's PEACE and QUIET when you leave her at home.....

Get you a tube of KnotSense by Loon. It's a UV glue that stays flexible. I use it as a coating on my FG knots and I barely here them passing thru the guides anymore. The glue works so well the the knot is completely incapsulated and smooth. As a side, you will need a UV flashlight to cure the glue. Sunlight will work, but most of my knot tying is done after dark or in my garage.

Tie a fly swatter to the end of it and reach those pesky bugs on the ceiling...

This Toit Knot answers questions I'm not even asking. It's trying to solve problems I don't have. I'll pass.

I do. And it works well. Depends, I guess. I have 15 SV reels in nearly every platform except the most expensive and like them all. But, I can skip better with the Lew's hands down. And I'm a decent skipper. But I'm not a rabid fan of any brand. I prefer Daiwa because they work for me. I won't, however, discount the Lew's reel because it isn't my brand. It's a great reel, smooth as butter and stout as an ox. YMMV

I have it and love it. I also have the Tatula Elite version. I prefer the Lew's when skipping due to the spool capacity. Get one and you WILL be skipping before you know it. It's that good. I vary the amount of line I spool on depending on my approach for the day. If you're bombing a frog then spool it all the way up. If you're doing more skipping and pitching, then only put on what you need. It doesn't affect the casting ability either way, it just prevents an eagles nest if you mess up.

Nice play on words there.

BPS had a video set up at the display running on a repeat of a couple of guys just smoking the bass on these things. It really looked convincing. I bought a couple, of course. I was severely disappointed as well as they filled with water and sank like a rock. I too haven't caught a single fish on them and ultimately threw them in the trash to make room for more bait monkey suggestions.

You'll get some opinions once the mods move this to the rod and reel section of the forum, I'm sure. That rod is above my pay scale, so I don't have an opinion...

The point is you're holding the boat DOWN not up, so these will be fine. However, I always overkill my strapping and would go with the 2" as well. A little more money for peace of mind is priceless.

Everyone has their favorite and no one rod will be the best for everyone. I recently bought the Powell Naked CB rod. It is amazingly light, sensitive, and casts very well. I use it for the presentations you asked about. It's a great option to consider.

I bought the CB medium rod 6'9" for top water poppers and Shower Blows and it is lights out. Light as a feather with amazing action. The parabolic flex is perfect for my style of top water fishing.

With 5 boys and 3 girls it was a requirement to maintain my sanity.

I have that Powell rod. I really enjoy fishing with it. I will say, however, that I like the Powell Max version better. But, if budget is a concern, you can't go wrong with the Endurance line. I really like the sensitivity and how light the rod is in hand. I paired my Endurance with the Lew's P&S reel and love it. I can skip a jig for miles, it seems. I have no experience with the Kaden rod.

That may be due to the disease that I am often accused of having. "Selective Hearing Disorder". I've been diagnosed by my wife because I can really hear certain things and yet can't seem to hear other things that don't bother me.

Solid advice here. You'll run yourself ragged chasing every negative comment and review on all brands. Find a boat you can afford with the best fit for your style and buy it. If you're that worried about it falling apart buy an extended service plan. Sometimes peace of mind is all that's needed. Just make up your mind, buy the boat, and go fishing!! The rest will sort itself out.

I was getting short strikes on a horny toad and downsized to a menace. It worked like a charm.

In that case, I think your braid needs to be larger. I'd go at least 20 lb. Then your 12 lb leader would make more sense. With 10 lb braid you're gonna get a lot of line bite on hook sets. A senko is a slack line presentation so your spool will be a bit loose, causing your line to bite in when you set the hook. Again, this is just my opinion and YMMV.

My thoughts are I would use 10 lb braid for smaller baits and finesse presentations. 12 lb leader material would potentially kill any action a finesse bait would impart due to its diameter in ratio to the braid. On 10 lb braid I'd lean toward 6-8 lb leader material.

I have a specific combo just for popper fishing, which is a Tatula Elite reel with the Powell Naked CB rod in 6'10". I can cast a 1/4 popper further than I care to fish it back. I use 30# Power Pro with a P-Line TOPWATER copolymer leader of about 4 ft. The leader floats, is just stiff enough to prevent hooks tangling on a pause, and yet has the perfect "delay" on hook sets to insure good penetration.

Picking any single rod would be an exercise in futility for me. I do have favorites that are technique specific. My Expride is my favorite for frogging. Yet my Powell Max's are my favorite for spinnerbaits, senkos and such. I could go on. I guess it all boils down to this point: If a rod isn't my "favorite" for the presentation I have chosen for it then that rod gets replaced until I find that special action, feel, and weight I am looking for in that presentation. Then that rod becomes my favorite...

Apparently, NoShoes does....

And if you REALLY want to do it right, go ULTREX. You'll never regret it. I sure haven't.

And at least one of us (me) don't even know what a SIPR token is....